1
as in democratic
of, relating to, or favoring political democracy
having rid itself of the yoke of colonialism, the new nation chose to be a self-ruling state
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in independent
not being under the rule or control of another
was granted special status as a self-ruling province
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Recent Examples of self-ruling
Not only that, but Greenland, a self-ruling territory of Denmark, lacks the infrastructure and manpower required to make this mining dream a reality.
—
Matt Egan, CNN Money, 12 Jan. 2026
Like Assad before him, Sharaa now faces complex negotiations toward bringing these self-ruling territories under his command.
—Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025
The dispute began when Takaichi, who was elected last month, told lawmakers that a hypothetical Chinese attack on self-ruling Taiwan, which at its closest point is about 70 miles from Japanese territory, could threaten Japan’s survival and trigger a military response from Tokyo.
—Peter Guo, NBC news, 25 Nov. 2025
In recent years, Beijing has ramped up economic, diplomatic and military pressure on Taiwan – a self-ruling democracy the Chinese Communist Party claims as its own despite having never governed it.
—Eric Cheung, CNN, 13 Mar. 2023
In a meeting earlier with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Raisi expressed support for China's crackdown on democracy in Hong Kong and claim to self-ruling democratic Taiwan.
—Bradford Betz, Fox News, 17 Feb. 2023
Matt Egan, CNN Money, 12 Jan. 2026
Like Assad before him, Sharaa now faces complex negotiations toward bringing these self-ruling territories under his command.
—Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025
The dispute began when Takaichi, who was elected last month, told lawmakers that a hypothetical Chinese attack on self-ruling Taiwan, which at its closest point is about 70 miles from Japanese territory, could threaten Japan’s survival and trigger a military response from Tokyo.
—Peter Guo, NBC news, 25 Nov. 2025
In recent years, Beijing has ramped up economic, diplomatic and military pressure on Taiwan – a self-ruling democracy the Chinese Communist Party claims as its own despite having never governed it.
—Eric Cheung, CNN, 13 Mar. 2023
In a meeting earlier with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Raisi expressed support for China's crackdown on democracy in Hong Kong and claim to self-ruling democratic Taiwan.
—Bradford Betz, Fox News, 17 Feb. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-ruling
Adjective
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Mamdani’s democratic socialist agenda also draws support beyond New York.—
Neetu Arnold,
Washington Post,
10 Feb. 2026
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Jackson emerged from that movement with a lifelong commitment to expanding democratic participation.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The movies that would be honored here, by contrast, were bolder than the Spirits usually go, resulting in a truly independent raft of winners.—
Film Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Feb. 2026
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Justices must also remain sufficiently independent to make decisions unpopular with executive and legislative officials.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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In real-world scenarios, efficiency declined slightly but remained better than existing autonomous systems.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Feb. 2026
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The Midas Project also claims that OpenAI cannot definitively prove the model lacks the autonomy required for the extra measures, as the company’s previous, less advanced model already topped global benchmarks for autonomous task completion.—
Beatrice Nolan,
Fortune,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Other backers of Paramount’s WBD bid include the sovereign wealth funds of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Abu Dhabi.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
10 Feb. 2026
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Mubadala Capital was launched by the Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund Mubadala about 15 years ago to manage third-party capital.—
Matthew Martin,
semafor.com,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The water district will also have a separate booth to update the public on a Climate Adaptation Plan that was funded by the state, Wolski said.—
Julie Gallant,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Feb. 2026
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The Wingcube is a tall, narrow box that tows easily on top of a separate trailer.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
15 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Self-ruling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-ruling. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.
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